The autocraft silver battery from Advance Auto parts is a screaming deal. Whlie they try to tell you to go absolute highest CCA, this drives you to thinner grids that dont necessarily have the mechanical robustness of a lower current, similar energy battery, which will have heavier, more robust grids.

The silver line of batteries appears to be right about the sweet spot. And, with one of their 40% off coupons, can be had really cheap.

So then it comes back to registering.

If I can buy a battery for $70 or so, it only makes sense to do the registering at the dealer for $100 or more if it will truly double the life of my battery or prevent adverse effects. I do not know that either of these are the case. if the car kills the battery early, the risk is with the battery maker, not you.

That said, I like a tip-top operating machine, so registration may be worth it. Ill personally most likely go with the AAP silver battery and buy a BT tool, which will be handy down the line, and register myself.

Id love to know how to code it so I could install an AGM instead of a flooded battery in there on the cheap. Im not paying a dealer $500 to do it. I like AGM in applications like a trunk mount, because of the super-low gassing and longer life.

But if youre willing to bypass the dealer, the AAP silver battery is about the best deal out there, and is equal to or better than the dealer battery. IIRC, the dealer battery is an Exide, which typically is the worst of the main three manufacturers.

I've only looked at the documentation for the BT tool but it appears all it will do is register a like for like battery. Same size and type. With NCSExpert, you could change battery type and size. It also costs less. I would also bet the BT tool is easier to use but NCSExpert is not terrible. You just have to follow directions exactly even though they aren't very user friendly. Essentially you plug into the OBDII, set the car to on, download the module you want to change, make the changes, and then upload the module. The menu selections you make are in German, however, so I need detailed instructions.